The Front Lines Feedhttp://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/en-usTue, 03 Mar 2009 08:41:10 -0600Army focus: conventional war or counterinsurgency?http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2009/mar/3/army-focus-conventional-war-or-counterinsurgency/<![CDATA[Since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began the U.S. Army has been relearning how to conduct counterinsurgency and stability operations while also trying to maintain conventional war-fighting capabilities.
Last month 900 students in Fort Leavenworth’s Command and General Staff College conducted what’s called a Warfighter exercise, which focused on large-scale combat such as the D-Day or Operation Iraqi Freedom invasion. The exercise, using high- tech computer and digital technology systems, also involved some civil stability operations.
“It’s a conventional fight, but we set the conditions during the exercise,” said Bob Garven, an instructor who spent 22 years on active duty in the Army.
Some in the military think the Army has gone too far in the direction of counterinsurgency at the expense of remaining skilled at, say, firing an artillery barrage. How does the Army balance training for both types of warfare?
“I think what you’re hearing is a discussion, much like our political leaders discuss things,” said Lt. Col. John Russell, instructor at Fort Leavenworth. “There’s a lot of former military and still-serving military leaders taking part in that discussion. I don’t think we have reached a consensus one way or the other.”
There are young officers — majors — who may have been in Iraq or Afghanistan the past few years but who haven’t experienced large-scale warfare unless they were in the 3rd Infantry Division or 5th Corps during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
“It’s difficult for them to visualize large formations on the battlefield,” Garven said. “You hear about it, read about it but you don’t experience it.”
Should there be two armies, one for each type of warfare? Garven and Russell don’t think that’s necessary. They noted that at the end of World War II the military switched from conventional combat to stability operations during the early rebuilding of Germany and Japan.
“Everybody forgets about the constabulary we set up in Europe, the government we set up in Japan,” Garven said.
Post World War II stability operations are included in case studies, Russell said.
Russell attended school at Fort Leavenworth in the mid-1990s, a time when it was still focused on conventional warfare strategies along with a smattering of peacekeeping operations because of Bosnia and Somalia, he said. He commanded a company during the 1991 Iraq war. In 2006-2007 he led a military transition team in working with Iraqis in counterinsurgency operations.
“I didn’t feel ill prepared for anything I encountered in Iraq because of the focus of the school,” Russell said. “There are certain principles that don’t change much, regardless of the nature of warfare.”
]]>Tue, 03 Mar 2009 08:41:10 -0600http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2009/mar/3/army-focus-conventional-war-or-counterinsurgency/Veteran finally to undergo back surgeryhttp://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2009/mar/2/veteran-finally-to-under-go-back-surgery/<![CDATA[On Tuesday, nearly three years after he was injured in an explosion during the war on terror, Army veteran Gary Connellis will undergo back surgery.
It has been a long, painful wait for someone with a herniated disc, degenerative disc disease and osteoarthritis. And those are just the problems with his back.
Periodically during the past several months The Front Lines has outlined some of the bureaucratic problems Connellis has experienced in dealing with the Army after he was injured and honorably discharged with disabilities, and especially with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Connellis, a former police officer in New York City, Lawrence and a couple of other Kansas towns, was almost evicted last October from his Leavenworth apartment, where he lives with his wife and daughter, because he didn’t have enough money for rent. Family members and friends came to his rescue, and he continues to receive financial help from them.
Connellis also has post traumatic stress disorder. He said he is now seeing his fifth VA counselor in about a year’s time. Most of them left for jobs outside the VA, he said.
<b>The Kansas National Guard</b> a couple of weeks ago announced that it was sending 180 soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 137th Infantry Regiment to Saudi Arabia for a joint exercise with the Saudis. About 50 of those soldiers are from the company based in Lawrence.]]>Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:47:16 -0600http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2009/mar/2/veteran-finally-to-under-go-back-surgery/Commanding the delivery of &#39;bullets and beans&#39;http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2008/dec/5/commanding-the-delivery-of-bullets-and-beans/<![CDATA[The U.S. Army is streamlining the way it manages the delivery of “bullets and beans” to its troops and Brig. Gen. Gregory Couch, of Olathe, is at the forefront of the process.Couch is the commander of the Army Reserves’ 316th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), based in Pennsylvania. The unit was the first of its kind and a few months ago it completed a tour of duty in Iraq. A headquarters unit, it oversaw and coordinated logistics support for U.S. and coalition forces while training Iraqi Security Force logistical units. It provided command and control to all sustainment forces, which includes 20,000 logistical soldiers.The 316th took about 400 soldiers to Iraq in September 2006. It replaced what was known as a Corps Support Command, which had 1,000 soldiers. The size of the unit and the way it does command and control are the big differences. The new logistical command concept is called “modular force logistics.”“What it’s really done is take out a layer of command,” Couch said during a recent interview. “You now have a colonel commander who is dealing directly with division commanders and that’s taken away another layer of a support. When that division commander needs logistics support, it happens much quicker.”http://worldonline.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/blogs/entry_img/2008/Dec/05/GEN_Petraeus1.jpg<em>Gen. David Petraeus, (left) when he was multinational forces commander, visited the 316th Sustainment headquarters for a tour and briefing with Gen. Gregory Couch. Petraeus then had photographers take pictures of him with 150 individual soldiers, including Couch.</em>The 316th was able to do that because the sustainment brigades under it are much larger and can handle a much larger area than they could before, Couch said.“We were the first unit of its kind,” Couch said of the 316th. “Being the first unit and being a Reserve unit at the same time is pretty phenomenal in my mind because nobody had ever tried it.”Couch’s unit went to Iraq at about the same time the troop surge was being implemented. An extra 30,000 troops were going to Iraq and the demand for logistical supplies also surged. Modular support logistics is all about numbers. If you are going to increase the combat force in numbers you have to design a smaller force to support them, Couch said. There also was a lot of reliance on private contractors to help increase logistical support and get supplies delivered.“Everybody got what they needed,” Couch said.Couch, 49, a Kansas State University graduate, is back in Olathe now. Couch has been in the Army and Army Reserves for nearly 30 years. He intends to stay in the Reserves “until they kick me out” and command the 316th until given a new assignment. He has spent much of his career in logistics units, including a couple of years with Lawrence’s 317th Quartermaster Battalion as executive officer.Of course, logistics soldiers don’t get the attention the combat troops get, but that’s OK with Couch.“We don’t need the glory,” he said. “But it’s very important that people know that there is a band of soldiers out there that on a daily basis is outside the wire on dangerous roads in Iraq, downtown Baghdad, wherever, delivering supplies to those combat guys so they can be out on the streets doing what they do.”<p>We’d like to tell other stories about military personnel from the Lawrence area and the things they are doing.<a href="http://www2.ljworld.com/staff/mike_belt/contact/>Send me an e-mail.</a></p>]]>Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:08:56 -0600http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2008/dec/5/commanding-the-delivery-of-bullets-and-beans/Leadership tips from former Green Berethttp://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2008/nov/11/leadership_tips/<![CDATA[Think outside the box. Take some risks. Surround yourself with quality people who you trust."Leaders change the shape and focus of the world they live in."Those were a few tidbits offered during a talk last week by Mark Johnson, a Eudora man who is a former Green Beret and U.S. Army consultant. Johnson spoke to about 20 people in the Kansas Union's Oread Bookstore. The audience was a mixture of students, employees, friends and family members.I've interviewed Johnson a few times in past years about his experience in the 1991 war against Iraq, and to get his comments on the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But this was the first time I had a chance to hear one of his motivational talks. Motivational speaking is something [he does regularly][1]. He draws on his military experience in talking about leadership and team building. Johnson is a very good speaker: He's animated and holds your attention for the full hour.During the Oread appearance Johnson also had available copies of one of his books, "Lessons in Leadership: Straight Talk From a Green Beret," which he was signing for people who wanted it. The book was published in 2005. He also wrote a 60-page book in 2000 called "How to Get Anyone To Follow You Anywhere."But Johnson said he has no plans to write anymore books. He's too busy. In addition to public speaking he's also an adjunct faculty member teaching leadership at Long View College in Lee's Summit, Mo., and a speaker and trainer at Johnson County Community College. He's also been a guest lecturer at Kansas University.In an exchange of e-mails later, I asked Johnson about his take on the situation in Afghanistan, which has gotten progressively worse in the past couple of years, and in Pakistan.Johnson said he feels good about Gen. David Petraeus being the new head of Central Command, which oversees forces in Afghanistan and Iraq."He's the smartest guy on the war on terror possibly in the world, at least in the U.S.," Johnson said.Johnson noted that one of the first things Petraeus did when he took over CENTCOM was travel to Pakistan to meet with its president to talk about border incursions by the Taliban and al-Qaida. The key to getting things under control is U.S. relations with Pakistan and Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai, Johnson said.Johnson also is concerned about Iran. He called President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "a bad, bad dude" and a potential spoiler to any Middle East peace. Iran is also allowing Russian explosives, weapons and ammo to be funneled into Iraq for the insurgents, Johnson said. [1]: http://www.markthespark.com]]>Tue, 11 Nov 2008 11:46:46 -0600http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2008/nov/11/leadership_tips/Disabled veteran about to be evictedhttp://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2008/oct/11/veteran_eviction/<![CDATA[Gary Connellis and his family are about to be evicted from their Leavenworth apartment.In [a couple][1] of Front Line [blogs this summer][2], Connellis' problems obtaining disability benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs were outlined.Connellis suffered numerous injuries in 2006 while serving in the Army during the war on terror. He received an honorable medical discharge and the VA determined he was 30 percent disabled.To make a long, complicated story short, Connellis found out additional information about his injuries that the Army hadn't passed on the VA. He has asked that he be declared 100 percent disabled. He has three different types of arthritis, major back, leg and foot problems, and post traumatic stress disorder.In Nov. 2007 Connellis applied for temporary pay while waiting on a new determination about his injuries. That was almost a year ago and he is still waiting on that determination - and any temporary pay.Connellis does receive a monthly tax-free check for $429; that's for his 30 percent disability determination. He is taking classes at the University of St. Mary in Leavenworth, and he gets additional VA money to pay for that.Connellis is unable to work, although he is trying to sell books online. His wife has a part-time job. They have a 7-year-old daughter. Their rent is $565 per month. They have additional expenses and a car payment. They use food stamps.Connellis long ago ran out of any extra money he had saved. He has been getting help from his parents and others.Connellis, 39, joined the Army a few years after the 9/11 attacks in New York, where he worked as a police officer for 17 years.Connellis received a three-day eviction notice, dated Thursday. [1]: http://www2.ljworld.com/blogs/military_matters/2008/aug/20/fighting_for_benefit/' [2]: http://www2.ljworld.com/blogs/military_matters/2008/sep/02/bureaucratic_battle/]]>Sat, 11 Oct 2008 06:00:00 -0500http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2008/oct/11/veteran_eviction/Obtaining Purple Heart list is Mission Impossiblehttp://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2008/oct/1/purple_heart/<![CDATA[I called the Pentagon Tuesday. I had a simple request.I wanted the names of Kansans from all military branches who received Purple Heart medals during the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I was hoping for more than just the names. I also wanted hometowns, military rank, military unit, and the circumstances that led to receiving the medal.I didn't think I was embarking on Mission Impossible.The Purple Heart is awarded to military personnel wounded or killed in battle. I called the Pentagon's number used by the news media to make inquiries. After telling the person who answered what I wanted, I was told to call each of the military branches and make the request. That was, of course, the Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force. He gave me the phone number for each.I called the Army first and got a recording. I was told I could leave a message and someone would get back to me as soon as possible. The voice also said I could e-mail my inquiry and indicated that might be the quickest way to get a response. I left a voice message. Later during the day, when I had not received a response, I sent the e-mail. I called the phone number again and still got the recording. More than 24 hours later I still haven't heard back from the Army.Next I called the Marines. I was transferred from one person to another and given numbers to call for other Marine departments and individuals. One woman told me straight out as soon I told her I was a newspaper reporter that she couldn't help me. I didn't even have a chance to tell her what I wanted. She said I had to call public affairs. I told her it was public affairs that sent me to her."Well, I'm sorry, I can't help you. You're with a newspaper," she said. Granted, some of the Marines I talked to were as incredulous as I was about the trouble I was having finding the right person to make the request to.The last call was to a Marine major I was told was in charge of the public affairs that deals with the media. I left a voice mail. I called later in the day and still got the same recording. I called this morning and left another message. That was several hours ago and I haven't heard back.This morning I called the Navy and Air Force. The person at the Navy was going to pass my message on to a senior officer who would get back with me.The Air Force guy said he'd check and see if my request could be granted. He called me back a few hours later and said the Air Force didn't have a list that breaks down where Purple Heart recipients are from. I asked about getting all of the names and then we'd do our own research and try to figure out their home state and towns. He said he could only give me numbers of total recipients, but not names.Well, at least the Air Force gave me a definite answer. I'm still waiting on the other branches.The military releases the names of personnel killed in action as soon as families are notified. The names of wounded personnel are not released. I have heard from various sources that it is because of individual privacy laws, in particular the Health Insurance and Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPA. It is that law that sometimes prevents hospitals from releasing conditions of accident victims when we call.So to find out about the war's wounded, you are on your own.]]>Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:33:07 -0500http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2008/oct/1/purple_heart/Reporter trains with Army&#39;s border transition teamhttp://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2008/sep/18/fortriley/<![CDATA[Army Specialist Jason Neuhaus enjoys being one of the bad guys.At Fort Riley, Neuhaus, of Herrington, is one of the OPFORs, short for "opposing force." He plays the role of an enemy sniper who hides in buildings that other soldiers enter and search.Earlier this week he was at an isolated mock village where training in searching and securing buildings was being conducted. The exercises get soldiers ready for urban combat.Neuhaus' job during those exercises is to shoot as many of the soldiers as he can before they get him."I'll usually start downstairs, engage a couple of them and then run upstairs and wait for them," Neuhaus said.I talked to Neuhaus earlier this week while I was embedded for a day with a Military Transition Team undergoing training at Fort Riley. Transition teams are small units of about 10 soldiers who will go to Iraq or Afghanistan to train and advise Army or national police forces.These soldiers will live among the Iraqis or Afghans they are training. They will eat their host's food and build cultural relationships.MiTTs are getting a special emphasis by the American military. That's because the quicker the two countries can handle their own security the quicker Americans can come home.The unit I was with was a border transition team. They are undergoing several weeks of special training before heading to Iraq, where their mission will be to help the Iraqis learn to secure their country's borders. Lt. Col. Brent Frazier was their commander.Not all of the soldiers in the unit have been to Iraq. Not all of them have previous training in how to search and secure a building. They spent a morning in the mock village learning how to line up and search a building room by room."Do I remember everything now? No, but we'll get it," Frazier said later. He noted that clearing buildings would be a small part of their job in Iraq. Mainly, they would show the Iraqis how to do it.That afternoon the team loaded their M-4 rifles with what they called paintballs. The paintballs are nothing like the round balls shot by civilian paintball game enthusiasts. They look like bullets with clear tips that contain a tiny amount of colored paint. The paint is for marking purposes.I and another writer with the unit got to go into the buildings to be searched with a trainer and wait and watch the soldiers storm in. They knew we were there, and they knew where we would be standing. Nevertheless, we wore at least an extra 20 pounds of body armor and a Kevlar helmet. We already had spent the morning wearing that stuff. Then we were given goggles and a black mesh mask to wear over our faces for additional protection. It made us quite hot, and it was sometimes difficult to breathe. Later that day I asked one of the soldiers acting as a trainer/observer to shoot me in the chest with the paintball bullet. The body armor covering my chest was thick enough to stop an AK-47 assault rifle bullet, so I knew I wouldn't be hurt. The soldier agreed, stood about 10 or 12 feet away and shot me. There was a slight "thud" as the bullet bounced off. It felt like someone throwing a small pebble at me while I was wearing a big winter coat.If I had been shot in my uncovered arms or legs, things would have been different. It would have hurt, like getting shot by a BB, several soldiers had told me.During the last building search of the afternoon, a sniper was hidden and waiting upstairs. I do not know if it was Neuhaus.Staff Sgt. Oscar Valenzuela saw the sniper in an open closet at the end of the hallway. The two exchanged shots. The sniper was "killed," and Valenzuela suffered two wounds from the paintballs the sniper fired in his upper thigh. The wounds looked like nickel size circles with the top flesh scraped away.I asked Valenzuela if it felt like getting hit by BBs."No," he said.Frazier's team did well considering it was their first time searching and clearing buildings, a trainer said."They could be more aggressive. They were afraid they were going to make a mistake. That will change," he said.]]>Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:49:38 -0500http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2008/sep/18/fortriley/Older reporter soldiers onhttp://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2008/sep/15/training/<![CDATA[I've never served in the military, but by the end of this week, I should have a better understanding of how the U.S. Army does things.I'm one of 10 journalists from around the country participating in the first annual Military Journalist Experience, organized by [Kansas University's William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications][1] and the Army. It's funded by the [McCormick Foundation][2].We will be participating in discussions with various officers at [Fort Leavenworth][3], including the fort's commander, Lt. Gen. William Caldwell.This afternoon we will go to [Fort Riley][4]. We've been told we will be suited up in combat gear and shown how urban warfare is conducted. No, we won't be shooting M-16s or M-4s or M-60s. Instead, we will be using paintball guns. We will be wearing protective gear but I've been told by people who have played that the balls still sting.Much of this is optional, so considering I'm much older than your average infantry soldier and so very out of shape, I expect to be watching some of this. I will participate until my knees and lungs get overwhelmed, which probably won't take very long. I also will try to take photographs and video. That immersion into combat training will continue through Tuesday before we return to Fort Leavenworth.I will update you as the week goes on. You probably won't hear from me before Wednesday or Thursday. [1]: http://www.journalism.ku.edu [2]: http://www.mccormicktribune.org/ [3]: http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/ [4]: http://www.riley.army.mil/]]>Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:50:42 -0500http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2008/sep/15/training/Lawrence man still working on Army&#39;s tankshttp://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2008/sep/5/repairing_tanks/<![CDATA[The last time [we visited with Darrell Hunsaker][1], he was home visiting his parents in Lawrence while on leave from the U.S. Army. He had been in Iraq for nearly a year and would have to return when his leave was over. That was in November and December 2004.Darrell and his father, Sam Hunsaker, collaborated to make Darrell's visit a surprise for his mother, Robin Hunsaker. One evening dad took mom to Perkins Restaurant, 1711 W. 23rd, to eat. Sitting in a nearby booth with his back turned to his parents was Darrell. When the time was right he got up, walked over to his mom and gave her the surprise of her life.Also sitting in nearby booths were Journal-World and 6News reporters and photographers, cameras and notebooks well hidden, waiting to record the moment.Darrell Hunsaker [made news again at the end of his leave][2] when he tried making plans to fly back to Iraq. He called a special phone number the Army had given him to make those plans.The number connected him to the Psychic Friends Hotline.I still remember working on that story and calling a Pentagon spokesman for comment about Darrell's situation. There was a silence followed by a huge sigh.Darrell did make it back to Iraq and rejoined the 1st Cavalry Division and went back to work recovering and repairing damaged tanks and other vehicles. He is in Iraq again now, this time as a civilian contract worker for General Dynamics, the maker of the M1A1-A2 main battle tank used by the Army and Marines.Darrell is working on new armor for the tanks and helping to make them safer in other ways, his father said. It's all part of Operation TUSK, an acronym for Tank Urban Survival Kit. He also works on improving armor for other vehicles.General Dynamics recruited Darrell because the company heard how good he was with tanks, Sam Hunsaker said."He just wanted to do more," Sam said. "When he was going out and retrieving tanks with his M-88 (tank recovery vehicle) and was pulling them back and repairing them, he saw the damage that was being done. He saw friends injured. He knew all the weak spots on the tank and he wanted to fix it up."He's of course making more money and General Dynamics has more resources," Sam Hunsaker added.We want to know about people in the military from the Douglas County area. Where are they deployed? When will they come home? What are their experiences? What are families here at home facing? If you are currently in the military and want to communicate with us, that's fine, too. Please [send me an e-mail][3]. [1]: http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2004/dec/07/sons_surprise_return/ [2]: http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2004/dec/30/getting_back_to/ [3]: http://www2.ljworld.com/staff/mike_belt/contact/]]>Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:33:33 -0500http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2008/sep/5/repairing_tanks/A light at the end of the tunnelhttp://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2008/sep/2/bureaucratic_battle/<![CDATA[Gary Connellis finally got some good news from a physician with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It means his wife and 7-year-old daughter are much closer to getting medical insurance coverage.Since December 2007 Connellis, who was injured two years ago in a bomb blast during the war on terror, has been seeking coverage for his family through the VA's Civilian Health and Medical Program (CHAMPVA). The first request was denied because there hadn't been a determination that any of the injuries Connellis suffered from a roadside bomb were permanent conditions.Connellis, 39, still suffers from numerous injuries from the incident that occurred in when he was in the Army. He is asking the Army to declare him 100 percent disabled; so far they've found him 30 percent disabled. But he's appealing.Connellis lives in Leavenworth and was honorably discharged from the Army because of his injuries. He is getting treatment for post traumatic stress disorder. Not all of his injuries are necessarily permanent. But he does have three different types of arthritis as a result of the injuries. As far as Connellis knows, there is no cure for arthritis.Connellis recently switched to a different VA physician. That physician agreed to write a letter stating that his osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and arthritis in the knee are permanent conditions.But more is needed. Connellis was told by a representative of the Veterans of Foreign Wars that the physician's statement also has to say that the conditions are "service connected and total.""So I'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel but nothing's complete, yet," Connellis said.Updates about Connellis' post-military bureaucratic battles will be carried in future blogs. [You also can read the first blog about him.][1]**We want to know about people in the military from the Douglas County area.** Where are they deployed? When will they come home? What are their experiences? What are families here at home facing? If you are currently in the military and want to communicate with us, that's fine, too. Please [send me an e-mail.][2] [1]: http://www2.ljworld.com/blogs/military_matters/2008/aug/20/fighting_for_benefit/ [2]: http://www2.ljworld.com/staff/mike_belt/contact/]]>Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:12:00 -0500http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2008/sep/2/bureaucratic_battle/Ex-soldier deals with post military problemshttp://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2008/aug/20/fighting_for_benefit/<![CDATA[The Army was going to be a second career for Gary Connellis.Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., he followed his father's footsteps and joined the New York City Police Department. He spent 17 years there.Connellis, 39, who now lives in Leavenworth, lost some friends in the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. Despite his desire to join the Army immediately, his wife was about to have a baby. He waited until his daughter was 5 before enlisting."It took a lot of running and getting back into shape," Connellis said.His Army career turned out to be a short one though, the aftermath of which he will be dealing with the rest of his life.While on special assignment in 2006, Connellis was wounded by a roadside bomb. He can't say what that assignment was or where he was, but he does say he was not in Iraq or Afghanistan.He joined the Army in 2005. He was honorably discharged with disabilities in July 2007. He has a long list of injuries - physical and mental - stemming from that explosion. After filing for disability payments from the U.S. Deptartment of Veterans Affairs, Connellis was determined to be suffering a 30 percent disability: The lower the percentage the lower his disability payments.Since he initially filed some of his claims Connellis found information in his Army medical records that he didn't know about and which were not passed on to the VA. That includes one record showing he had a herniated disk in his lower back. The Army never treated him for that, despite frequent trips to Army doctors about the back pain, he said. He also found out he has asthma, something else the Army never told him about or treated him for, he said.Connellis has appealed and is seeking a 100 percent disability declaration from the VA. The appeals were filed months ago and he is still awaiting a ruling.During the appeals process Connellis has had to deal with severe back pain. He walks with a cane when he can walk at all. Next month he will finally see a surgeon about his back. He is getting treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. There have been multiple frustrations in dealing with the VA and military bureaucracies, he said. Not all of it had to do with the injuries.In future blogs we will go into more detail about what Connellis has gone through and post updates about his condition and experiences. He has had help along the way from a representative of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda, D-Kan., and recently enlisted the help of U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Kan."It's ridiculous," Connellis said. "I know there are others going through this. I know I have to be patient."Here is the list of injuries and medical problems that have plagued Connellis since the explosion: a herniated disk and compressed nerve in his back; bursitis in his right knee; two types of arthritis including one in his spinal cord; multiple stress fractures in his right shin, ankle and both feet; PTSD, anxiety attacks; and periodic skin and staph infections.**We want to know about people in the military from the Douglas County area.** Where are they deployed? When will they be coming back? What are their experiences? If you are currently in the military from this area and want to communicate with us, that's fine, too. Please [send me an e-mail.][1] [1]: http://www2.ljworld.com/staff/mike_belt/contact/]]>Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:00:00 -0500http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2008/aug/20/fighting_for_benefit/Joint Chiefs chairman confronts Army challenges at Fort Rileyhttp://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2007/oct/25/army/<![CDATA[More coverage of Admiral Mike Mullen's visit to Army bases in Kansas:[The Washington Post:][1] "FORT RILEY, Kan., Oct. 24 -- The United States' exit from Iraq and Afghanistan depends on stepping up U.S. advising of those nations' security forces, Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday as he visited military training teams preparing to deploy."'It's the way out, no question, in both countries,' Mullen told Lt. Col. Geoffrey D. Ellerson, whose 11-man training team will leave in three weeks for a year-long tour in a volatile region of Iraq east of Baghdad. 'I can't overstate the importance' of the teams, he said. "One challenge to expanding the advisory effort, however, is attracting highly qualified Army officers to leave traditional career paths to join the teams, which some see as hurting their chances for promotion, according to several officers interviewed this week.";We have to have certain jobs to be competitive.' said Maj. Jason Jones, one of a group of Army majors attending school at Fort Leavenworth who voiced reluctance to join the training teams. 'That takes me out of the cycle. In essence, it sort of hurts you,' Jones said.[The Topeka Capital-Journal:][2] Two hundred sergeants went one-on-one Wednesday with the nation's top military commander at a town-hall gathering that exposed troop anxiety about conflicts beyond Iraq and Afghanistan. Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, one month into a new assignment as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was asked to consider whether the U.S. military should reach inside Iran to interrupt the supply of insurgent forces in Iraq. President Bush also has denounced development of nuclear weapons by Iran. "I'm not one to take military options off the table," Mullen said. "However, I'm a firm believer they should be options of last resort. I'd worry a great deal about getting into a conflict with a third country in that part of the world right now." [1]: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/24/AR2007102402549.html [2]: http://cjonline.com/stories/102507/kan_211874162.shtml]]>Thu, 25 Oct 2007 08:38:00 -0500http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2007/oct/25/army/Joint Chiefs chairman visits Kansashttp://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2007/oct/24/joint/<![CDATA[Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is visiting Kansas this week - Fort Leavenworth on Tuesday (after a stop at Fort Sill, Okla.) and Fort Riley today.The Fort Leavenworth visit wasn't necessarily easy.[The Washington Post reports:][1] "Also Tuesday, Mullen visited students at the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and met with Army recruiters in Denver. Wednesday, he is to speak with U.S. military teams at Fort Riley, Kan., preparing to train Iraqi and Afghan forces."Hardship on spouses and children emerged as a major complaint for the young captains, most of them in their 20s or early 30s. One related the frustration his pregnant wife faced obtaining obstetric care for herself and medical treatment for their 8-month-old son's ear infection. With many Army doctors deployed, he said, she has often been told she can't get an appointment."'I am currently on track to exit the military in one year,' he said, 'not because I'm done serving . . . but because my wife has a bad taste in her mouth.' Mullen again promised to take his name and e-mail address. 'I'll get back to you,' he said."Commenting later on the captains' frank comments, Mullen said that he was not surprised, and that they validated his own views. 'They weren't shy,' he said."[AP adds:][2] "Mullen later flew to Fort Leavenworth in Kansas and spoke to about 800 military students at the Command and General Staff College. During questions there he heard many of the same issues, as well as broader questions about military strategy, the Middle East and the ongoing effort to send more soldiers to work in training teams for the Iraq and Afghan armies."Mullen said later that he was not surprised by the concerns expressed by the officers."'Based on my expectations, I think what I heard is what I expected,' he said. 'It validates where I think we are and it also validates the need as a priority to figure out a way to relieve that stress.'"The leadership of the Army and the Marine Corps, he added, are addressing the issues and 'it's not going to be an overnight fix.'" [1]: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/23/AR2007102302588.html [2]: http://www.meadowfreepress.com/ViewArticle.aspx?id=193896&source=2]]>Wed, 24 Oct 2007 08:42:38 -0500http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2007/oct/24/joint/Fort Riley practices for disasterhttp://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2007/oct/19/disater/<![CDATA[Here are recent headlines about the military in Kansas:Fort Riley ¢ 1st Infantry Division[(49abcnews.com][1] It's a scary scenario, a terrorist attack at Fort Riley. But it's a reality check for these soldiers and hospital crews to see if they can handle it. Soldiers hurt, screaming. It's the chaotic aftermath of an attack. It's pretend, but Fort Riley emergency officials aren't joking about the possibility. "It could happen. It's a real possibility." They do this mock mass casualty exercise several times a year. "They train as realistically as possible," said Lisa Medrano of Irwin Army Hospital. "This is exactly how it would be handled in a real situation."[(Washington Post) Muslim leaders sign 'reconciliation' pact:][2] Sunni and Shiite local leaders in southwestern Baghdad signed on Thursday an agreement intended to halt sectarian violence and attacks on American and Iraqi troops on the condition that security forces limit their raids and offensive operations. The 12-point "reconciliation document between Muslims" was the result of two months of negotiations between U.S. soldiers and local power brokers in southwestern Baghdad, an area that has become an important base for Shiite militiamen but has also seen attacks by Sunni insurgents. The agreement, signed in a conference room inside the U.S.-protected Baghdad International Airport compound, was an example of what has become a widespread effort by the U.S. military to encourage local leaders to make peaceful commitments in the absence of momentum toward national reconciliation by Iraqi politicians. "The people in this room are leading the process for all of Baghdad," said Lt. Col. Patrick Frank, commander of the 1st Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, which operates in the area. "You are the hope for the entire city."Kansas National Guard[(Garden City Telegram) Local soldiers headed for Iraq:][3] Today marks the beginning of about a year of work for some 430 soldiers with the Kansas Army National Guard. Soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 161st Field Artillery, including several from Garden City, left for Salina this morning for premobilization training, with an Iraq deployment date of early next year. Sgt. Hendrik Rijfkogel said about two dozen soldiers left from Garden City. Sgt. Alex DeLeon, 45, from Ulysses, stood with his family this morning in front of the Kansas National Guard Armory. They laughed and hugged. They prayed. "I wish I could have my uniform. I would go with you," Robert DeLeon told his brother. [1]: http://www.49abcnews.com/news/2007/oct/18/mock_disaster_good_learning_experience/ [2]: http://www.contracostatimes.com/nationandworld/ci_7223200 [3]: http://www.gctelegram.com/News/141385]]>Fri, 19 Oct 2007 09:00:37 -0500http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2007/oct/19/disater/Kansas Air National Guard expands at Wichitahttp://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2007/oct/18/wichita/<![CDATA[Here are recent headlines about the military in Kansas:Kansas National Guard[(KAKE TV) Intel Center at McConnell Doubling in Size:][1] The Kansas Air National Guard at McConnell Air Force base is landing more jobs. The McConnell Air National Guard Intelligence Squadron is expected to roughly double in size, increasing the division to around 400 personnel. The Intel center opened in 2006 after several years of planning. 200 Air Force analysts work the intelligence processing center right now - analyzing information from reconnaissance missions in real time from around the world. Over the next year, the number of analysts will grow to 400. Congressman Todd Tiahrt says this expansion means long-term job security for our area.Fort Leavenworth[(The Timaru Herald, New Zealand) Top rank for former Timaru man:][2] Former Timaru man Major General Rhys Jones has been appointed Commander of Joint Forces New Zealand. His new role sees him responsible to the Chief of Defence Force for operational-level command and control of all joint and combined international operations and exercises. "I consider this role to be the culmination of my career. It places me at the sharp end of the military, responsible for all operational deployments which are the reason why we have a Defence Force," Major General Jones said of his appointment. He joined the Army in 1978, graduating from Officer College at Duntroon, Australia into the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps at the rank of Lieutenant in December 1982. His academic achievements include attending Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, USA, and higher defence college at the Australian Defence College.Fort Riley ¢ 1st Infantry Division[(49abcnews.com) Combat battalion welcomes new commander:][3] Soldiers from the 541st Combat Battalion got a new commander Wednesday. Lieutenant Colonel Howard Merritt passed over the ranks to Lieutenant Colonel John Silverstein. Siverstein is no stranger to Fort Riley. He served as an officer with the same battalion in 2002. He's getting used to calling Kansas home. Before this assignment, he was at Fort Leavenworth.[(Topeka Capital-Journal) Fort Riley soldier dies:][4] A 20-year-old Fort Riley soldier died Tuesday in a German hospital after being transported from Tikrit, Iraq, with a noncombat-related illness one day earlier. Spc. Micheal D. Brown was an aviation operations specialist in the 1st Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division.[(49abcnews.com) Ft. Riley brings out the big guns:][5] It's the largest piece of artillery in the U.S. Army, the M109A6 Paladin armored fully tracked 155 millimeter howitzer. It's in use now in places like Iraq and this week for training at Fort Riley. We were allowed to see the Paladin in action on the post. "We're training for a task that's more high intensity, but we also have a lot of adaptability," battalion executive officer Maj. Richard Hodgson said. Several miles away is the impact zone, where fire support crews were training in dialing-in the targets. For this training the big guns were firing about eight miles, but their range is 20, and they are accurate. [1]: http://www.kake.com/news/headlines/10610712.html [2]: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/timaruherald/4241546a6010.html [3]: http://www.49abcnews.com/news/2007/oct/17/combat_battalion_welcomes_new_commander/ [4]: http://cjonline.com/stories/101807/kan_209459943.shtml [5]: http://www.49abcnews.com/news/2007/oct/17/ft_riley_brings_out_big_guns/]]>Thu, 18 Oct 2007 08:44:45 -0500http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2007/oct/18/wichita/ESPN profiles connection between Fort Riley, K-State footballhttp://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2007/oct/16/football/<![CDATA[Here are recent headlines about the military in Kansas:Fort Riley ¢ 1st Infantry Division**ESPN video: K-State football trains with Fort Riley troops** <object width="425" height="353"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yaKkwA7rGoI&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yaKkwA7rGoI&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="353"></embed></object>[(AP) Immigrants Play Countrymen in Exercises:][1] Army veteran Lee Anderson is putting his military skills to use -- as an actor. But you won't see him in the movies or on TV. He's role-playing for the Army. During a recent training exercise at Fort Riley in Kansas, Anderson was part of a group pretending to be unhappy Afghan villagers. The idea is to give war-zone bound troops a bit of realism. Anderson says it pays pretty well. He adds it beats his other job of renting mobile homes and moving them around Kansas.[(AP) Sacramento soldier killed in Iraq vehicle rollover:][2] A Sacramento family is preparing a final goodbye to Frank Cady the Third after the soldier was killed in Iraq last week. The Defense Department says Cady died of injuries from a vehicle rollover in Baghdad. The 20-year-old was a chemical operations specialist with the First Infantry Division based out of Fort Riley, Kansas. [1]: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hYWlofganbGv65WFwc0468wRasdAD8S9SATO3 [2]: http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=7218691&nav=menu191_2]]>Tue, 16 Oct 2007 10:14:44 -0500http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2007/oct/16/football/New York Times profiles Iraq debates at Fort Leavenworthhttp://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2007/oct/15/nyt/<![CDATA[The New York Times [spent some of its precious Sunday front-page real estate][1] on a story about Fort Leavenworth, and how students at the Command and General Staff College are debating the decisions that resulted in the ongoing Iraq War.Some excerpts:"As the war grinds through its fifth year, Fort Leavenworth has become a front line in the military's tension and soul-searching over Iraq. Here at the base on the bluffs above the Missouri River, once a frontier outpost that was a starting point for the Oregon Trail, rising young officers are on a different journey - an outspoken re-examination of their role in Iraq."Discussions between a New York Times reporter and dozens of young majors in five Leavenworth classrooms over two days - all unusual for their frankness in an Army that has traditionally presented a facade of solidarity to the outside world - showed a divide in opinion. Officers were split over whether Mr. Rumsfeld, the military leaders or both deserved blame for what they said were the major errors in the war: sending in a small invasion force and failing to plan properly for the occupation."On one level, second-guessing is institutionalized at Leavenworth, home to the Combined Arms Center, a research center that includes the Command and General Staff College for midcareer officers, the School of Advanced Military Studies for the most elite and the Center for Army Lessons Learned, which collects and disseminates battlefield data."But senior officers say that much of the professional second-guessing has become an emotional exercise for young officers. 'Many of them have been affected by people they know who died over there,' said Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, the Leavenworth commander and the former top spokesman for the American military in Iraq. Unlike the 1991 Persian Gulf war and the conflicts in the Balkans and even Somalia, General Caldwell said, 'we just never experienced the loss of life like we have here. And when that happens, it becomes very personal. You want to believe that there's no question your cause is just and that it has the potential to succeed.'"One question that silenced many of the officers was a simple one: Should the war have been fought?"'I honestly don't know how I feel about that,' Major Powell said in a telephone conversation after the discussions at Leavenworth."'That's a big, open question,' General Caldwell said after a long pause." [1]: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/us/14army.html]]>Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:40:21 -0500http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2007/oct/15/nyt/Blackwater, private military contractors under Fort Leavenworth scrutinyhttp://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2007/oct/11/fort/<![CDATA[With all the recent discussion about Blackwater and other private military contractors in Iraq, a two-year-old paper on the topic from Fort Leavenworth's [Combat Studies Institute][1] is receiving renewed attention in the blogosphere.The paper, ["Public War, Private Fight? The United States and Private Military Companies" (PDF),][2] was written by Deborah C. Kidwell."Ms. Kidwell concludes that PMCs (private military contractors) will be an increasingly important facet of US military operations for the foreseeable future; however, the use of contractors on the battlefield is not a panacea for all logistics problems," Col. Timothy Reese, director of CSI, writes in the forward.Kidwell herself writes:"Since 1991, contractor support on and off the battlefield has become increasingly more visible, varied, and commonplace. Given the current manpower and resource limitations of the national military, the US will likely continue its extensive use of PMCs in support of military operations," she writes.But there are problems."These problems increase the risk to US personnel and can induce budget overruns rather than savings, disrupt civil-military relations, and have detrimental consequences for the American economy and society," Kidwwell writes.And she offers suggestions to govern the use of contractors in combat zones:"Political and military leaders must clearly define the role of contractors-the nature of the work they are allowed to perform and the legal and geographical limitations of civilians on the battlefield-and the core competencies of the military services. The legal status of contractor employees as noncombatants must be firm, and the US government must resolve the ambiguity of contractual and criminal jurisdiction when American taxpayers foot the bill."Other headlines today:Kansas National Guard[Topeka Capital-Journal) Topekan receives Purple Heart:][3] Three days after Thanksgiving in 2004, Spc. Sean McCoy was driving a Humvee through the streets of Baghdad under an overpass when 20 feet ahead ... BOOM! An improvised explosive device blew out of the ground, rocking the Humvee, ripping the steering wheel from McCoy's hands. He regained control of the vehicle and drove to safety. Bryttanie McCoy, 10, hugs her father's arm as he speaks to reporters after the ceremony. It wasn't until the next morning he woke immobilized by pain in his back and arms. McCoy, a graduate of Shawnee Heights High School, was awarded the Purple Heart on Wednesday, an honor decorating those who are wounded in the line of duty. [1]: http://usacac.army.mil/CAC/csi/ [2]: http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/download/csipubs/kidwell.pdf [3]: http://cjonline.com/stories/101107/loc_207217019.shtml]]>Thu, 11 Oct 2007 10:31:18 -0500http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2007/oct/11/fort/Kansas-based officers play key roles in Army debatehttp://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2007/oct/10/kansas/<![CDATA[The Army is in the midst of an "intense debate" over a force-wide reorganization that would put a new premium on training foreign military units to fight their own battles against terrorist threats. And officers at both Fort Leavenworth and Fort Riley are playing key roles in that debate.[The Los Angeles Times][1] reports today:"On one side of the widening debate are officers who want many Army units to become specialized, so that entire units or even divisions are dedicated to training foreign militaries. On the other are those who believe that military units must remain generalists, able to do a wide range of skills well."Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates is expected to weigh in today in a major address in which he will warn that the Army is unlikely to face a conventional war in the future and must reorganize to fight in unconventional conflicts."Army officers at Ft. Leavenworth, where the Army's most important doctrine is created, have been working for two months on specific proposals to create training units for the Pentagon's worldwide commands. Last week, officials from the Pentagon, State Department, Special Operations Command and other military groups took part in the war game to evaluate various proposals for the teams."Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, who oversees the Army schools and research institutes at Leavenworth, said the proposals would create a dedicated unit of trainers who could be assigned to each of the commanders of the worldwide regions."'The concept here is a very specific focus: They do not do direct action; they do not command and control combat forces; they are not a combat force,' Caldwell said. 'Their mission is to do security-force assistance.'"The size of the proposed units is undecided, and the war game at Leavenworth examined at least three different organizational structures."The leading advocate of establishing a stand-alone advisor corps within the Army is Lt. Col. John Nagl, a co-author of the Army's new counterinsurgency field manual who is considered a rising star within the service."In an article published in a policy journal in June, Nagl, who served as an operations officer in a battalion in Iraq three years ago, proposed a permanent force of 20,000 advisors."'It requires a different focus in training. It requires a different mind-set,' Nagl said in an interview. 'Forces practicing advisory skills also need a particular way of looking at the world.'" [1]: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-army10oct10,1,2545897.story?track=rss]]>Wed, 10 Oct 2007 08:58:24 -0500http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2007/oct/10/kansas/Looking at reducing Iraqi casualtieshttp://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2007/oct/9/look/<![CDATA[Here are recent headlines about the military in Kansas:Fort Leavenworth[(Boston Globe) Pentagon is pressed on killings of Iraqis:][1] Of 500 claims for compensation filed by Iraqi families and released after an ACLU court action, 133 were allegedly killed for driving too close to a convoy, while 59 were allegedly killed at checkpoints. Those cases include allegations that US soldiers, on several occasions, shot at random from convoys, killing bystanders; a case in which soldiers allegedly fired 200 rounds into a car that did not stop soon enough at a checkpoint, killing two parents and injuring their two young children; and an allegation that US soldiers had fired on a car carrying a pregnant woman who was on her way to the hospital to give birth, killing her. In the vast majority of cases, soldiers were deemed to have acted within their rights to fire at the vehicles that they feared posed a threat. Soldiers were found negligent in only a tiny handful of cases. ... "They are 19, 20 years old and we are asking them to make some pretty big decisions, and they are doing a great job," said Colonel Kent Crossley, former chief of Analysis and Integration at the Center for Army Lessons Learned at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., who served multiple tours in Iraq. Crossley cochaired a conference earlier this year on how to rewrite the handbook on "escalation of force" procedures in a way that could reduce civilian deaths. He said the military was trying to give soldiers the tools to avoid such killings, including nonlethal tactics, and better, more visible signs which can be understood by Iraqis who do not speak English. "Just because you have the right to use lethal force, it doesn't mean you should. That's what we are trying to teach these soldiers," he said.Fort Riley ¢ 1st Infantry Division[(Kansas State Collegian) Soldiers learn combat life-saving skills in Ft. Riley course:][2] One soldier hurries to wrap a tourniquet - one that will stop deadly blood loss - around the arm of a cloth dummy. Another inserts a plastic tube - one that will deliver life-saving breath - into the airway of a plastic head. Both are working quickly and efficiently, calmly announcing and explaining each task as they go. These soldiers are students in Fort Riley's combat life-saving course. They are learning skills that will help them save fellow injured soldiers on the battlefield. "We want soldiers to understand how to do these things now, so that it becomes muscle memory," said Sgt. Baldwin Fisher, class instructor. "That way when they get out there and things start happening, they know what to do automatically." [1]: http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2007/10/09/pentagon_is_pressed_on_killings_of_iraqis/?page=2 [2]: http://media.www.kstatecollegian.com/media/storage/paper1022/news/2007/10/09/News/Practical.Experience-3020621.shtml]]>Tue, 09 Oct 2007 09:54:06 -0500http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/military_matters/2007/oct/9/look/